Multi-Target Drugs Against Metabolic Disorders

Abstract

Background: Metabolic disorders are a major cause of illness and death worldwide. Metabolism is the process by which the body makes energy from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; chemically breaking these down in the digestive system towards sugars and acids which constitute the human body's fuel for immediate use, or to store in body tissues, such as the liver, muscles, and body fat. Objective: The efficiency of treatments for multifactor diseases has not been proved. It is accepted that to manage multifactor diseases, simultaneous modulation of multiple targets is required leading to the development of new strategies for discovery and development of drugs against metabolic disorders. Methods: In silico studies are increasingly being applied by researchers due to reductions in time and costs for new prototype synthesis; obtaining substances that present better therapeutic profiles. Discussion: In the present work, in addition to discussing multi-target drug discovery and the contributions of in silico studies to rational bioactive planning against metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, we review various in silico study contributions to the fight against human metabolic pathologies. Conclusion: In this review, we have presented various studies involved in the treatment of metabolic disorders; attempting to obtain hybrid molecules with pharmacological activity against various targets and expanding biological activity by using different mechanisms of action to treat a single pathology.

Essential Oil Phytocomplex Activity, a Review with a Focus on Multivariate Analysis for a Network Pharmacology-Informed Phytogenomic Approach

“…Such an improved insight into phytocomplexes can promote the development of drugs based on essential oil bioactivities, as well as new strategies for activity-driven drug development based on multi-target and molecular cooperation of drug combinations. In this context, the pharmacological activity of known drugs can be improved by the addition of other molecules, thus guiding the conception of new multimolecular drugs, exploiting their synergy in multi-drug combination therapies, or multitarget drugs [65,[107][108][109][110][111][112]. In conclusion, the high-throughput power of omic disciplines together with bioinformatics, multivariate analysis, and in silico methodologies, rationalized within the holistic framework of network pharmacology, provide a fast-growing and unprecedented number of tools and a new strategy to study multifactorial biological environments.…”

“…Such an improved insight into phytocomplexes can promote the development of drugs based on essential oil bioactivities, as well as new strategies for activity-driven drug development based on multi-target and molecular cooperation of drug combinations. In this context, the pharmacological activity of known drugs can be improved by the addition of other molecules, thus guiding the conception of new multimolecular drugs, exploiting their synergy in multi-drug combination therapies, or multitarget drugs [65,[107][108][109][110][111][112].…”

Analysis of Metabolic Differences in the Water Extract of Shenheling Fermented by Lactobacillus fermentum Based on Nontargeted Metabolomics

“…However, it is difficult to achieve an overall effect with a single targeted therapy in the context of obesity and other chronic diseases with multiple metabolic disorders [6]. The current consensus is that multitarget therapy is suitable for diseases with multiple causes, such as obesity [7]. Compounds of Chinese herbal medicine have the advantage of multiple components [8].…”

Gut Microbiome: The Interplay of an “Invisible Organ” with Herbal Medicine and Its Derived Compounds in Chronic Metabolic Disorders

“…For the treatment of MetD, both synthetic and traditional medicines (herbal drugs/formulations) can be considered [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Each kind of medical system has its unique way of maintaining health.…”